Key points from the infographic
- The graphic lists the top 25 US colleges in Forbes’ 2024 ranking, with each college’s median salary ten years after enrolment and median debt after graduation.
- Princeton is first, followed by Stanford and MIT.
- Princeton and MIT share the highest median salary on the list, $189.4K. Wellesley has the lowest, $134.1K.
- Columbia has the highest median debt, $16.8K, and Williams College the lowest, $4.1K.
- California has the most colleges in the top 25, six, and Massachusetts has five.
The university rankings infographic in text
Title: America’s Top Universities, Ranked by Forbes. Intro: Forbes uses 14 metrics to determine which American colleges offer the best educational, financial, and career outcomes for all students. Metrics include alumni salary, debt load, graduation rate, academic success and retention rate.
| Rank | University | State | Median 10-year salary | Median debt after graduation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Princeton University | NJ | $189.4K | $7.6K |
| 2 | Stanford University | CA | $177.5K | $13.0K |
| 3 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) | MA | $189.4K | $13.8K |
| 4 | Yale | CT | $168.3K | $5.9K |
| 5 | University of California, Berkeley | CA | $167.0K | $7.2K |
| 6 | Columbia University | NY | $156.0K | $16.8K |
| 7 | University of Pennsylvania | PA | $171.8K | $12.5K |
| 8 | Harvard University | MA | $171.4K | $9.0K |
| 9 | Rice University | TX | $152.1K | $10.8K |
| 10 | Cornell University | NY | $155.4K | $8.3K |
| 11 | Northwestern University | IL | $141.3K | $7.0K |
| 12 | Johns Hopkins University | MD | $142.3K | $9.8K |
| 13 | UCLA | CA | $144.4K | $6.4K |
| 14 | The University of Chicago | IL | $150.6K | $12.2K |
| 15 | Vanderbilt University | TN | $148.0K | $8.9K |
| 16 | Dartmouth | NH | $173.3K | $6.4K |
| 17 | Williams College | MA | $169.2K | $4.1K |
| 18 | Brown | RI | $155.0K | $10.1K |
| 19 | Claremont McKenna College | CA | $167.0K | $7.6K |
| 20 | Duke University | NC | $158.7K | $6.4K |
| 21 | UC San Diego | CA | $151.5K | $6.4K |
| 22 | Caltech | CA | $168.6K | $12.6K |
| 23 | Wellesley | MA | $134.1K | $5.6K |
| 24 | Amherst College | MA | $139.7K | $9.3K |
| 25 | Bowdoin | ME | $152.9K | $10.5K |
Source: Forbes. Note: data represents 2024 data. Made by Voronoi by Visual Capitalist. Salaries are drawn as navy bars and debt as blue squares sized by amount.
How Forbes builds the ranking
Voronoi’s notes on the graphic say the figures come from Forbes, which draws on the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System and the US Department of Education’s College Scorecard [1]. Forbes uses 14 metrics, including alumni salary, debt, graduation rate, return on investment, retention rate, academic success and the Forbes American Leaders List. Colleges where students tend to graduate with lower debt score higher on the debt measure [1].
That is why the order does not follow salary alone. Dartmouth, 16th, has a higher median salary ($173.3K) than every college from 4th to 15th, while Northwestern ranks 11th with one of the lowest salaries on the list ($141.3K).
Why Princeton came first
According to Voronoi, Princeton scored well on all 14 of Forbes’ metrics. It had a 97% six-year graduation rate for low-income students and covers 100% of tuition and housing costs for students from families earning $65,000 or less, for the class of 2026 [1]. Statista’s summary of the same ranking gives Princeton graduates an average debt of $7,559 and a median 10-year salary of $189,400 [2], which match the $7.6K and $189.4K on the graphic.
Notes on this infographic
- A 2024 ranking. The graphic shows Forbes’ 2024 list. Forbes publishes a new list each year and the order changes, so check Forbes for the latest ranking.
- Medians, not guarantees. Salary and debt are medians for each college’s students. They do not account for differences in subjects studied or family income.
- Debt label. The graphic labels debt as “median debt after graduation”, while Statista describes Princeton’s figure as an average debt [2]. The numbers are the same.
- Names. Colleges appear on the graphic as logos. They are written out in full above.
Questions about Forbes' top US colleges in 2024
What is the number one university in America according to Forbes 2024?
Princeton University is first in Forbes' 2024 ranking of US colleges, followed by Stanford and MIT. According to Voronoi, Princeton scored well on all 14 of Forbes' metrics [1]. It had a 97% six-year graduation rate for low-income students and covers 100% of tuition and housing costs for students from families earning $65,000 or less, for the class of 2026 [1].
Which top US college has the highest graduate salary?
Princeton and MIT share the highest median 10-year salary in Forbes' 2024 top 25, $189.4K. Stanford is next at $177.5K, then Dartmouth at $173.3K. Wellesley has the lowest median salary on the list, $134.1K. The figures are medians for each college's students and do not account for differences in subjects studied or family income.
Which top US college leaves students with the most debt?
Columbia University has the highest median debt after graduation in Forbes' 2024 top 25, $16.8K. MIT ($13.8K) and Stanford ($13.0K) follow. Williams College has the lowest, $4.1K. Forbes scores colleges higher on its debt measure when students tend to graduate with lower debt [1].
How does Forbes rank colleges?
Forbes uses 14 metrics, including alumni salary, debt, graduation rate, return on investment, retention rate, academic success and the Forbes American Leaders List [1]. The data draws on the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System and the US Department of Education's College Scorecard [1]. Because of this mix, the order does not follow salary alone: Dartmouth, 16th, has a higher median salary ($173.3K) than every college from 4th to 15th.
Sources
- Voronoi by Visual Capitalist, Princeton is America’s Top University in 2024, 13 September 2024. The creator’s original post, based on Forbes data.
- Statista, Forbes ranking of the best U.S. colleges 2024, by debt and median 10-year salary, last updated 10 September 2024.
Last reviewed 30 October 2026
